Process of generating heat in fusion-furnaces.



B. STOUGHTON.

PROCESS OFGBNBBATING HEAT IN FUSION FURNACES.

WITNESSES APILIOA'IXOI FILED APR. 8, 1912.

Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

IN VEN TOR.

MM S y/ UNITED STATES PATENT onnion BRADLEY STOUGHTON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

' PROCESS OF GENERATING HEAT IN FUSION-FURNACES.

Specification of Letters rum.

Application filed April 8, 1912. Serial No. 689,891.

To all whom. it may concern Be it known that I, BRADLEY S'roUon'roN, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in- Heat in Fusion- Processes of Generating n o owing 1s a speci- Furnaces, of which the fication.

My invention consists in a new process for generating heat and is particularly applicable to the melting of metals and the smelting of ores. Fluid fuel and solid fuel are used together, but are burned in a new manner, involving a new principle and with new results. The essential features are the use of sutlicient fiuid fuel to supply all or practically all the heat required, and the use of the minimum quantity of solid'fuel whose characteristic functionis to be main- .tained incandescent for the purpose of igmting and insuring the complete consumption of the fluid fuel without waste. It is an essential feature to admit enough air to insure complete combustion of the fluid fuel, and in addition thereto merely enough surplus air to maintain the solid fuel incandescent, it being the intent to consume the latter as slowly as possible, thus using the minimum of solid fuel and generating practically the entire heat for meltin the metal from the fiuidfuel. Ifthe soli fuel could be maintained at incandescence without any consum )tion thereof, that would be the idea An desirable form of solid fuel may be used; or instance coal or charcoal, but probably coke will be generally used. Any

desirable form of liquid of fluid fuel may be used for instance a combustible as either natural or generated, but probfiily oil will generally be used, injected in vapor ized form mixed with air, by means of blow-pipes through the twyer holes or by other convenient means. An 'equivalent might be used like pulverized fuel.

My process may desirably be practised in any suitable furnace by depositing at the bottom of the furnace a bed containing coke or other suitable solid fuel, on this a layer of metal or ore, then a layer of coke and so on. The'coke bed is then ignited and the oil injected into said incandescent mass with sufiicient air to insure complete combustion of the oil and merely enough in addition to maintain the coke at incandescence,

. with the slowest rate of consumption. As

the heat for melting is obtained substantially all from the oil, the layers of coke are merely intended to re lace the unavoidable loss from the bed, an therefore said layers are very thin, containing but a fraction of the amount usedin ordinary ractice.

My invention is illustrate by reference to.the drawing herewith showing a cupola in vertical section. In this 1 1 indicate the pillars, supporting a cupola having a steel shell 2 and a fire-brick lining 3.' The bed of coke 4 supports the first layer of pig iron 5. Another layer of coke 6 supports a. second layer of pig iron 7. As aforesaid these la ers of coke in my process are very thin. he charging door 8 is used for the introduction-of the coke, pig iron, and any flux that may be used.

19 is the wind box and 13 the usual twyers.

he aforesaid parts are old and well known in cou 1:; practice, and corresponding parts, in last'furiiaces, but thereto I have added'the blow pipes 9 9 to inject the gaseous or liquid fuel, directly into the incandescent coke which is a new feature. As shown, these blow-pipes enter through air pipes or lower twyers, which carry air forimmediate intermixture with the injected oil. The supply of air through both upper and lower twyers may be controlled so that the correct'amount only will be admitted. The fused metal runs oii' through the-spout l0 and the slag or cinder through the spout 11. Where Oll is used it should be first thoroughly vaporized or atomized by any suitablemea'ns.

A heated blast of air may be used, and

, steam for atomizing and in ecting the oil,

if desired. I do not limit myself to injecting the oil and air together for they ma be injected at difi'erent points and in di erent manners. By injecting the oil directly into the bed of incandescent coke, perfect combustion of the oil is obtained without deposition of soot or unconsumed carbon.

'The advantages of my process, whereby colre is to a very large extent replaced by fluid fuel, are that in man localities fluid fuel is chea er than coke; t 1e melted metal, dropping t rough the zone of combustion, wil not suffer so much oxidation and waste as in old processes, because the injected air is always mixed with combustible gaseous muteria with which it unites by preference,

and that a very trifling quantity of the injurious impurities, such as sulfur and phosphorus, are taken up by the metal, owing to the fact that much less coke is used. For these reasons it sometimes is advantageous and economical to em loy my rocess even in localities where oi is not c eaper than an equivalent amount of solid fuel. Furthermore the fluid fuel is thoroughly consumed, and much more completely consumed, than in preceding processes, so that there 15 no waste and no accumulation of graphite or reduced carbon.

h v process may be practised with, or aplied to, many different forms of furnaces in common use, for instance cupolas, smelting furnaces and some forms of reverberatory furnaces. However, I do not intend to limit my process to any particular form of furnace, but intend it to be ractised with any form of furnace with w ich it may be desirable, and for the melting or reduction of iron or other metals or minerals or for other purposes.

My invention will make possible the smeltin of ores in localities where oil is cheap, at where smeltin has heretofore been commercially ipossi le on account of the high cost of coke due to transportation.

I claim,-

1. The herein described recess of gen crating heat in a furnace, w ich consists in depositing solid fuel in the furnace, igniting the fuel, injecting liquid fuel, and introducin onl suiiicient air full to consume the fluid ucl and to maintain very slow combustion of the solid fuel.

2. The herein described rocess of generating heat in a furnace, w iich consists in forming a bed in said furnace containin solid fuel, igniting the fuel, injecting fluid fuel and blowin in sufiicient air fully to consume the fiui fuel, but in addition only enough air to maintain a very slow combustion of the solid fuel.

3. In the art of smelting or fusing metallic substances, the herein described process which consists in depositin in a furnace solid fuel and metallic materia l, introducing fluid fuel and introducin air, the quantity of air admitted being sufiicient fully to consume the fluid fuel and in addition to main- ;aiii a very slow combustion of the solid 4. In the art of smelting or fusing metallic substances the herein described process which consists in maintaining a bed containing solid fuel at the bottom of a furnace, depositing a charge of metallic material thereon i niting the solid fuel and injecting fluid uel and air, the quantity of air introduced being only sufficient to insure complete combustion of the fluid fuel and to maintain a very slow combustion of the solid fuel.

5. The herein described process of smelting or fusing metallic substances which consists in maintaining a bed of coke in the bottom of the furnace, depositing a charge 'of metallic material thereon, injecting fluid fuel in atomized or vaporized condition and introducin sufiicient air completely to consume the aid fuel and very slowly to consume the solid fuel.

6. The herein described process of fusing and smelting metallic substances which consists in depositing a bed conta ning coke in the bottom of the furnace depositin la ers of metallic material and layers-of co e thereon and injecting atomized oil mixed with air, the quantity of air being sufficient fully to consume t e oil and only very slowly to consume the coke in the bed, the layers of coke bein merely sufiicient in amount to maintain t e bed.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribin witnesses.

BEADLEY STOUGHTON. Witnesses:

An'rnnn H. Enmo'rr, P. LINDGREN. 

